As with any hobby or subject area, patterns have their own language and abbreviations.

This post is one I will add to as time goes on and I think of other things to add, but lets start today by listing the main abbreviations you may come across and what they mean.

• CB – Center Back
• CF – Center Front
• CBF- Center Back Fold
• CFF- Center Front Fold
• CH – Crown Height ( on a sleeve)
• RS – Right Side
• RDS – Right Side Down
• WS – Wrong Side
• WSD – Wrong Side Down
• SS – Side Seam
• SA – Seam Allowance
• RHSAW – Right Hand Side As Worn
• LHSAW – Left Hand Side As Worn
• OL – Overlock (serge)
• GL – Grainline
• RST – Right Sides Together
• WST – Wrong Sides Together
• WL – Waistline
• ZZ – Zigzag Stitch
• S/F – Side Front
• S/B – Side Back
• W/L – Waist Line
• B/L – Bust Line
• B/P – Bust Point
• H/L – Hip Line
• E/L – Elbow Line
• K/L – Knee Line
• A/H – Armhole
• CBL – Cross Back Line
• U/L Underarm Line
• SHLDR or SH – Shoulder
• NCK – Neck
• SLV – Sleeve
• FCNG –Facing
• W/BAND  – Waistband
• CLR – Collar
• TR – Trousers
• TP – Top (blouses, shirts and t-shirts any upper body section)
• SK – Skirt
• JKT – Jacket (coats)
• DRS – Dress

It is useful for pattern cutters to have a consistent way of labelling and saving pattern pieces. I use a number of CAD systems and I find that consistent accurate labelling saves me a great deal of time.

If you can think of any more abbreviations then please let me know and the list can grow!

Happy pattern making

Nicola